A significant number of "special interest aliens" have been detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents since 2021, according to leaked information from Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Fox News reports that these individuals often originate from nations with known links to terrorism or pose a potential threat to national security.
The leaked data, corroborated by several CBP sources, reveals the number of arrests made between October 2021 and October 2023. During this period, border agents reportedly encountered 6,386 individuals from Afghanistan, 3,153 from Egypt, 659 from Iran, and 538 from Syria.
Furthermore, the report disclosed that border agents also intercepted "12,624 from Uzbekistan, 30,830 from Turkey, 1,613 from Pakistan, 164 from Lebanon, 185 from Jordan, 123 from Iraq and 15,594 from Mauritania," as reported by Fox News.
NBC News reported last month that the number of individuals from the Middle East attempting to enter the U.S. via Mexico has surged in recent years. As of July, 160 migrants matching those on the Terrorist Screening Dataset were apprehended by CBP in 2023, marking a significant increase from the 100 apprehended in 2022 for the same reason.
In 2023, Border Patrol apprehended a total of 216 individuals on the terror watch list, compared to 165 in 2022. However, in 2019, the number of individuals on the terror watch list attempting to cross the border peaked at 280, according to NBC.
A Department of Homeland Security official stated that the number of individuals on the terror watch list attempting to cross the border aligns with the number of people trying to enter the country from conflict zones.
Last month, officials warned that domestic terrorists will continue to pose a threat throughout 2023, and the number of individuals radicalized within the U.S. "will remain high but unchanged."
Global concerns over terrorism have recently escalated following Hamas' attacks against Israel. Despite these attacks occurring in the Middle East, numerous Palestinians across Europe were observed waving the Palestinian flag and applauding the attacks over the weekend.
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